BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking correlates with heightened risks of lung cancer, other malignancies, cardiovascular problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other respiratory disorders. It results in 480000 deaths annually, with males constituting 60% of these fatalities.
METHODS: The study compares life expectancies of smokers and non-smokers in India in 2019, employing life tables and two distinct scenarios. One scenario presumes uniformity of death occurrence, while the other assumes occurrence in increasing numbers within an age interval. The population of smokers was sourced from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-2) and mortality figures from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. Mortality linked to smoking is documented starting from the age of 30. Life expectancy was calculated starting from age 30 using five-year age intervals. Sensitivity analysis was conducted considering upper and lower thresholds of deaths.
RESULTS: The life expectancy difference between smokers and non-smokers progressively increases with individual age, with an average difference of 2.7 years for males and 4.2 years for females. Significant variations were noted through the application of upper and lower limits. Considering the upper bound for smokers, the difference increases to 6.4 years and 8.8 years for males and females, respectively. The observed variance between the two scenarios, where death-related risk factors are assumed to manifest uniformly or exponentially, is negligible.
CONCLUSIONS: The observed difference in life expectancies between smokers and non-smokers, particularly when accounting for upper bound, provides substantial justification for enhancing tobacco control and cessation initiatives in India.